Movie Reviews By Bil Antoniou

Gone With The Wind

Like I could possibly say anything that hasn’t already been said. It’s the mother of all movies: inside its vast canvas you’ll find two of the greatest performances ever committed to film: Vivien Leigh‘s Scarlett O’Hara, a performance so intelligent and nimble that it ably carries an entire four-hour film, and Olivia de Havilland‘s Melanie, a woman who never ceases to be fascinating in her complexity and wisdom. The story is a mish-mash of Southern Gothic soap opera, most often historically inaccurate (slaves enjoying their labour? Whatever), but boy oh boy, try tearing your eyes away after you’ve gotten fifteen minutes into the process.

Academy Awards
Best Actress (Vivien Leigh as “Scarlett O’Hara”)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Hattie McDaniel as “Mammy”)
Best Art Direction (Lyle Wheeler)
Best Cinematography (Colour) (Ernest Haller, Ray Rennahan)
Best Directing (Victor Fleming)
Best Film Editing (Hal C. Kern, James E. Newcom)
Outstanding Production (Selznick International Pictures)
Best Writing (Screenplay) (Sidney Howard)
Special Award, to William Cameron Menzies for outstanding achievement in the use of color for the enhancement of dramatic mood in the production.